Bogota Weekend
Last weekend I was in need of a getaway, something I had been keeping in the back of my mind during this busy third term. Third term this year is 11 weeks long without a long weekend or holiday to break it up, so in preparation for this grind I decided that somewhere are the middle of term I wanted to get away for a weekend.
Fortunately two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have met a Canadian traveling through Colombia during her time in Medellín. Tracy is a pretty awesome person, from Toronto, who was coming to the end of a two month backpacking trip. Originally, we met up for some dinner and to chat about travels, Medellín, and what it's been like for me living in Colombia. Getting to meet random people on their travels through my new city has always been a lot of fun, and a highlight of the language exchange I try to attend most Fridays. But like all travelers Tracy was moving on to the next stop on her trip, and I was back to work on Monday, so this felt like the end to a brief but interesting traveling friendship.
However, Tracy and I kept in touch as she traveled to her next few destinations, and we ended up making some plans to meet up in Bogota with a few of her friends to explore the city. I had never been to Bogota, so the idea of being able to play the tourist and get away for a weekend was perfect! I was able to grab some cheap, last-minute flights to Bogota, got to the airport right after work on Friday, and met up with Tracy and friends for a fun weekend.
Bogota is huge. Over 8 million people live in the city, which is spread out in this massive sprawl. On first impressions it is dirty, over populated, filled with traffic problems, and generally not a pleasant experience. But once we settled into the Airbnb in the Chapinero district and started to explore the area, the charms of the city started to become more apparent. We stuck to Chapinero and Candelaria in our explorations, but those two districts were filled with some amazing culture. From nice little restaurants and coffee shops, to the museums (we went to the Museo del Oro) there was plenty of things to eat and see. I was particularly impressed with the graffiti art that we found as we wandered through random streets. The artistry and use of colour made each neighbourhood more unique than the last, and filled what could have been a dull, concrete filled space into something much more welcoming and warm.
But like all weekend getaways, there wasn't enough time to do it all, and unfortunately my return flight home on Sunday came much faster than I could have wanted. I will definitely need to return to Bogota again to see more of the sights that I didn't get a chance to see on this trip. But I'm glad that I had this opportunity to make some great new friends. I'm hopefully going to be able to meet up with Tracy again in Toronto this summer to hear about the rest of her trip!
Fortunately two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have met a Canadian traveling through Colombia during her time in Medellín. Tracy is a pretty awesome person, from Toronto, who was coming to the end of a two month backpacking trip. Originally, we met up for some dinner and to chat about travels, Medellín, and what it's been like for me living in Colombia. Getting to meet random people on their travels through my new city has always been a lot of fun, and a highlight of the language exchange I try to attend most Fridays. But like all travelers Tracy was moving on to the next stop on her trip, and I was back to work on Monday, so this felt like the end to a brief but interesting traveling friendship.
However, Tracy and I kept in touch as she traveled to her next few destinations, and we ended up making some plans to meet up in Bogota with a few of her friends to explore the city. I had never been to Bogota, so the idea of being able to play the tourist and get away for a weekend was perfect! I was able to grab some cheap, last-minute flights to Bogota, got to the airport right after work on Friday, and met up with Tracy and friends for a fun weekend.
Bogota is huge. Over 8 million people live in the city, which is spread out in this massive sprawl. On first impressions it is dirty, over populated, filled with traffic problems, and generally not a pleasant experience. But once we settled into the Airbnb in the Chapinero district and started to explore the area, the charms of the city started to become more apparent. We stuck to Chapinero and Candelaria in our explorations, but those two districts were filled with some amazing culture. From nice little restaurants and coffee shops, to the museums (we went to the Museo del Oro) there was plenty of things to eat and see. I was particularly impressed with the graffiti art that we found as we wandered through random streets. The artistry and use of colour made each neighbourhood more unique than the last, and filled what could have been a dull, concrete filled space into something much more welcoming and warm.
But like all weekend getaways, there wasn't enough time to do it all, and unfortunately my return flight home on Sunday came much faster than I could have wanted. I will definitely need to return to Bogota again to see more of the sights that I didn't get a chance to see on this trip. But I'm glad that I had this opportunity to make some great new friends. I'm hopefully going to be able to meet up with Tracy again in Toronto this summer to hear about the rest of her trip!
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| Tracy and I stopping for a selfie in Candelaria |
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